Can We Be Friends?
by SomethingMoreCreative
Summary: Annabeth hadn't had very many friends over the years, and she certainly wasn't expecting the black haired guy from the coffee shop to sit down at her table. She really didn't expect to become best friends with him. AU. Dedicated to BlakkMagic25.


**A/N: This AU was completely unplanned and is dedicated to BlakkMagic25 who left me an awesome review on my last story, asking me if we could be friends. For some reason, the question stuck with me and then this happened. I hope you like it, BlakkMagic25!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own ****_Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Heroes of Olympus, _****or anything else that you may recognize. **

* * *

Annabeth looked up when she heard the chair across from her scrape across the floor. She hadn't been paying attention to anyone around her, but she didn't think that she needed too. She had been coming to the same coffee shop for the past three months to study before her World History class at eleven. Normally, she just ordered her coffee and sat down at a table nestled in the corner by the window, burying her face in her textbook until it was time for her to go.

On a typical Monday, Wednesday, or Friday there weren't that many people in the shop when she was. There was a nice, preppy girl with brown hair that stood at the counter and usually took her order. A few older people walked into the shop to grab a quick cup to go before they ran out, late to wherever they were headed. There was a black haired boy that sat at a table on the opposite side of the shop. He usually kept his head down, and most of the time he was scribbling onto some paper. Annabeth had always assumed that he was a college student like her, studying for classes or something. But they had never talked. He always ignored her when she walked in.

So that's probably why it surprised her when she looked up to see him sitting down in front of her.

He didn't say anything, and they just stared at each other for a few seconds. Annabeth was surprised to see that he had very pretty eyes—more green than blue. He was wearing a black t-shirt with a blue jacket tossed across his shoulders.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow at him, "Can I help you?"

He bit his lip, and she tried not to stare. His eyebrows were scrunched together, but Annabeth tried not to think that it was adorable. He looked kind of embarrassed when he said, "This is going to sound weird, but can we be friends?"

She leaned back in shock. So this boy had just ignored her for the past three months and all of a sudden he wanted to be friends?

"Um, why?" Annabeth asked, too shocked to say anything else.

He shrugged, and his cheeks were tinted a light red color. He looked down at the table when he said, "I just thought that it would be nice to have someone to sit with. I… I don't really like to sit by myself that much."

Annabeth scowled at him. He was _very _adorable. She couldn't ignore it.

And it might actually be nice to have someone to sit with. Even if she was just going to sit here and read the whole time, it _would _be nice to have someone on the opposite side of the table that she could look at or speak to every few minutes. It would be less lonely.

Instead of telling him that they could be friends, she said, "I'm Annabeth." Either he would get the message or she was going to get up and leave right now.

He actually smiled at her, and she was temporarily blinded by a set of perfect, white teeth. He held out his hand for a high five, "I'm Percy."

Annabeth reluctantly gave him a high five before she looked down to the textbook that he had in front of him. She raised an eyebrow, "Chemistry?"

"Yeah, it sucks," he made a face at the book. "Most of the time I can't even read the stupid book."

"Do you go to NYU?" Annabeth asked.

He nodded, "Yeah, I'm a Communications major."

"That's probably why I've never seen you around campus," she said. "Architecture major."

"Ugh, I hate math," Percy said.

"It's more than just math," she scoffed, rolling her eyes.

He grinned again, and Annabeth thought that he had a very nice smile. "So, tell me then, if it's not all math then what is it?"

"It's… it's building something permanent. Something that will last for decades. When people look at something beautiful they'll know that I did it," she said softly, surprising herself. Normally she didn't tell random strangers personal stuff like that, but Percy felt different.

He was looking at her quizzically, like she was a puzzle that he had yet to solve. After a few seconds, he looked up at her and said, "That's awesome. I never thought about it like that."

She shrugged, "Well now you have."

"Yeah," he said. "Now I have."

They sat there at their table and talked for the rest of the hour. She learned that he was an only child and that he had just moved out of his mom's apartment and into his own. Apparently it was kind of crappy, but he liked it because it was his. His last name was "Jackson," and he was twenty (the same as Annabeth). She told him about her dad and how she had lived out in California with him until she came to NYU on scholarship. She talked and talked about how she lived on campus or her classes or some of her other friends or anything else that came up.

She didn't realize that she hadn't gotten any of her reading done until it was time for her to go. She had spent all of her time talking to Percy, and she didn't even feel guilty about it. It was actually… really nice to have someone to talk to.

Sure, she had other friends and stuff, but she never really felt that close to them. She knew a lot of people, but she had never really made a connection with anyone besides her roommate. Annabeth did spend a lot of time with Piper, but that was just out of living together. So, it was pretty awesome to be able to talk to someone else like she has known them for a long time, and besides, Percy was really amusing. He said a lot of stupid stuff.

Annabeth grabbed her backpack and stuffed her books down into it. She cut him off mid-sentence when she said, "I have to go."

He looked down at his phone and laughed nervously, "We just sat here and talked for an hour?"

"Yes, and I didn't get any of my reading done," Annabeth said, standing up.

"You've probably read it already anyway," he said.

Annabeth scowled at him, but she figured that the look wasn't as fierce as it normally was.

He laughed and raised his eyebrows, "See you Wednesday?"

She pretended to think for a minute before she nodded, heading toward the door and calling, "See you Wednesday, Percy Jackson!"

Ω

She wasn't smiling because it was Wednesday. She wasn't biting her lip in anticipation because she was going to see Percy Jackson today. She wasn't walking faster than normal so she could listen to him talk until she had to go to class. That wasn't it. She was just… happy that it wasn't raining. Yeah. Whatever.

So maybe she _was _excited that she got to see him today. Sue her.

Annabeth walked into the coffee shop and threw her backpack down at her table before heading up to the counter and getting her usual coffee. She was just sitting down and pulling out her Psychology book when the door opened.

"I hate Chemistry," was the first thing that Percy said to her. He let his backpack fall to the floor beside their table and marched to the counter to order his coffee without further explanation.

She watched amusedly as he repeated his order to the girl at the counter, sighing dramatically a couple of times. His shoulders were drooping, reducing his height by a few inches. Percy was actually really tall if he would ever stand up straight. He was taller than her by at least half of a foot (she guessed; he always slouched) and it was something that she secretly loved about his appearance.

He finally got his drink and trudged back over to the table. He threw himself down on his side (was it weird that they had already declared sides for their table?) and put his head down, banging it repeatedly against the hard surface.

Annabeth held back a grin as she said, "I've discovered something else about you."

"What," he muttered.

"You're very dramatic," she reached over and caught his head by his hair before he could hit it again. "And stop destroying perfectly good brain cells. You don't have enough as it is."

Percy looked up at her dryly, scowling slightly, "Ha ha. I'm amused. I've also discovered something about you."

"And what would that be?" She asked.

"You're not sympathetic. At all."

Annabeth let go of his hair (it was really soft, just like she thought it would be) and frowned, "I am so! I just don't think you should worry about Chemistry so much. It's not that bad."

"Not that bad?" Percy questioned. "I can't even read the book, much less do the homework!"

"Well it's your lucky day," she said.

_"__Lucky day?" _He asked. His voice was getting louder with his frustration. "How is this lucky? I suck at Chemistry! I'm going to fail my midterm on Friday!"

"No, you're not. Because," she said with a smile. "I'm going to teach you Chemistry."

So, Annabeth didn't get any of her reading finished (good thing she did it last night because she knew Percy would distract her) but it was totally worth it. She taught Percy Chemistry, and by the time she had to leave Percy was smiling at her like he had won the lottery. Now he could do most of the problems without making giant errors that would make him fail.

"I'm going to be late," she said, gathering her books and backpack.

Percy grabbed her hand from across the table and said, "Thank you, Annabeth. Seriously."

She smiled and rolled her eyes, "Well, I wasn't going to let you fail."

He laughed and watched her as she got up and headed toward the door. "Bye, Annabeth," he sing-songed.

"Bye, Percy. See you Friday?" She asked, stopping at the door.

"Friday," he confirmed with a nod.

Annabeth smiled the whole way to her class.

Ω

"ANNABETH!"

She looked up from her book when she heard someone shout her name. She knew that it had to be him, and he was running a little later than normal today. Something must have held him up.

Sure enough, Percy ran into the door and straight over their table. Before she knew what he was doing, he had grabbed her from her seat and pulled her into his arms, spinning around in circles. His voice was loud from excitement, and he was shouting, "Guess what! Guess what!"

She laughed, but she was blushing from being so close to him. He was holding her up off of the ground, and Annabeth set her hands on his shoulders to keep from falling down. She could feel his muscles through his thin t-shirt and jacket.

"What?" She guessed over his yelling. The few people in the shop were staring at them amusedly, and Annabeth kind of wished that Percy would put her down and sit like a normal person.

"I aced my Chemistry midterm! I got an 'A!'" He said excitedly, twirling again.

Annabeth laughed again and pinched his bicep. Good _god _he was _built. _She tried not to blush deeper as she said, "That's great! Now put me down!"

Percy was still laughing and shouting excitedly, but he set her down on the ground. One of his arms was still around her waist, and right then Annabeth realized that they were standing chest to chest.

He grinned down at her, "I could kiss you right now."

She didn't know what to say, and she was pretty sure that her cheeks got even redder. She just blinked and looked down toward the ground.

_Smooth, Annabeth, _she complemented herself. _Real smooth. _

But Percy was still high on excitement so he didn't notice. He pecked her cheek quickly (long enough that she felt like she could stay there forever, but short enough that she wanted him to do it again) before he let go of her so she could sit back down.

"Is that why you were late today?" She asked, trying to change subjects.

He nodded, backing up toward the counter to place his order. After he finished he turned his head back toward her and said, "Yeah, I was talking to my professor about my grade because I didn't want him to think that I didn't try so he graded it while I was standing there, and I _killed _it! He was asking me why I was worried in the first place, and I laughed and told him it was because I found the best freaking tutor ever or I would have definitely failed."

She smiled at the indirect comment and said, "I'm glad you didn't fail. That would have sucked."

"Tell me about it," he said as he fell into his seat across from her.

"I would love to sit here and listen to you talk until I have to leave, but I seriously have to read the rest of this chapter for my World History class or _I _am going to fail my quiz," Annabeth said after a few seconds of silence.

He made a big show of shaking his head and apologizing before he waved his hand in front of her book and said, "Well by all means, Miss Chase, continue your reading."

She made a weird face at him before she let her eyes go back to her book.

A few minutes later, Percy hooked his ankle around hers, and she smiled until she had to leave.

Ω

Annabeth had gone all weekend without seeing Percy, and now she was going through Percy-withdrawals. She probably should have been concerned about that (she _had _only known him for a week), but she didn't care.

It was kind of weird. Even though they had only known each other for a week, Annabeth felt like it had been longer. She was still learning new things about Percy every time that they were together, but she felt like she _knew _him.

So she was smiling when she walked into the coffee shop, but then she noticed that he was already at their table. Which was kind of weird. Annabeth was always the first one to get to the shop, and it was weird to see Percy already there with his head down on the table.

She didn't even go get her drink before she sat down at the table. He didn't look up.

"Percy?" Annabeth asked, reaching out and petting his hair.

He moaned and lifted his head a little. His eyes and the tip of his nose were both red, and he sniffed loudly. His voice was nasally when he said, "Hey, Annabeth."

"You're _sick," _she said. "Why are you here? You should be at home resting!"

He shrugged and fell into a fit of coughing. His voice was small when he said, "I wanted to see you."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, but she was pretty sure that the look was fonder than she meant it to be. Her hand slipped down to his forehead, and his skin was hot. "Percy, you idiot. You need to be in bed resting not sitting out in the cold talking to me!"

"I know but—" he broke off into a sneeze followed by another round of coughing.

She stared at him for a few seconds before she sighed and pulled out her phone. She checked her calendar, relieved when she didn't find anything important besides class that she had to attend to today.

She stood and shouldered her backpack. She set one of her hands on Percy's shoulder and said, "Come on, Percy."

"Where are we going?" He asked with a groan.

Annabeth pulled him out of his seat and to his feet. She said, "I'm taking you home before you get worse."

"You don't know where I live," he sniffed. He was wobbly on his feet so Annabeth reached out to steady him, winding one arm around his waist.

"That's why you're going to show me," she said. "If you try to go home by yourself then you'll get yourself killed before you get there."

Percy moaned and nodded along, sagging into her grip. "Okay."

Annabeth pulled him out of the coffee shop. The wind was biting cold outside so she straightened her jacket before tightening Percy's as well. She led them along the sidewalk, following Percy's directions to his apartment. He was holding the hand that she didn't have wrapped around his waist. Normally Annabeth would have been blushing at the skin to skin contact, but right now she could only notice how hot and clammy his skin was.

They walked roughly ten blocks before he pointed to a building and mumbled something that Annabeth didn't hear. She assumed this was the building he lived in, so they trudged up the stairs and into the door.

It turned out that Percy lived on the fifth floor in a building with no elevator. But stumbling up the stairs with a half conscious Percy was better than walking outside in the wind. They finally got to the fifth floor and Percy stumbled his way down the hall with Annabeth at his side. He pulled something out of his pocket and put it in Annabeth's hand.

She used his key when he stopped at a door, and they hurried inside.

Percy's apartment wasn't very nice, but it looked like a home. Of course, it was way better than living in a dorm like she did. His apartment was really small. As soon as they walked through the door they were in the living room. It was connected to a small kitchen, and off to the left there were two doors. Annabeth assumed that one was a bedroom and the other was a bathroom. The furniture in the room was pretty nice. Annabeth was honestly surprised that she could see it. Percy seemed like the type to just keep things thrown around in random places.

Percy kicked the door closed behind them before he fell down onto the couch, moaning the whole way. If he didn't feel so bad, Annabeth would have laughed at him.

"Thanks for bringing me home," he said into the cushions. Annabeth could barely hear his muffled voice.

"Of course," she said softly, sitting her backpack down in a chair in the corner of the room. "I wasn't going to let you pass out on the street on your way home."

He turned over so he could see her. He sneezed and then asked, "Are you staying?"

She nodded and rolled her eyes at him, "Of course I'm staying, you idiot. You're too sick to even sit up straight."

"But don't you—" he broke off with a cough. "Have class?"

"Yes, I do," she said, walking over to Percy and pulling his shoes off of his feet. "But I am sacrificing my perfect attendance to stay here with you and make sure that you don't die or anything."

He didn't even have the strength to look annoyed that she was making fun of him. He just smiled softly and murmured, "Okay."

"You need to go change into your pajamas and get in bed," Annabeth told him. "I'm going to work on my English paper while you sleep."

He nodded and rolled off of the couch. Annabeth watched as he sneezed his way to his bedroom.

She shook her head in amusement, trying to keep her mind off of what she was doing in Percy Jackson's apartment. She had literally known him for a week. And now she was taking care of him while he was sick.

She grabbed her laptop from her backpack and tossed it onto the couch before she turned to Percy's TV. It took her a few minutes of pressing random buttons and snooping through his DVD collection before she finally started watching the third Harry Potter movie. She smiled at the thought of Percy being a Harry Potter fan.

Annabeth was finally arranged on the couch perfectly with a blanket tossed across her lap and her laptop sitting on the coffee table, waiting to load her paper. She had taken off her jacket and her shoes, and she had made herself at home.

A door squeaked open, and she looked up. Percy was standing right outside of his door. He had a blue comforter wrapped around his shoulders and a pair of sweatpants around his hips. He was missing a shirt (Annabeth refused to stare at his chest), and he kept rubbing his eyes like a little kid.

"Percy, you need to go to bed," she said, trying to make her voice soft instead of squeaky.

"I can't go to sleep," he murmured. "Can I stay in here with you?"

After a few seconds of his puppy dog expression, she sighed and opened her arms. "Come here," she said.

Percy hurried over to her and crawled up onto the couch. Before she realized what he was doing, he was on top of her and resting his head on her chest. He drew the comforter up around his shoulders and twisted one of his arms around her body.

Annabeth tried not to breathe too fast. He could probably hear her heart beating out of control. She tried not to focus on his arms around her or how the pressure of his body felt against hers or how her shirt had rode up a little so she could feel his bare skin against hers or—

She sighed and ran her hand through his hair, pulling his comforter up around his neck with her other hand.

Percy hummed happily until he fell into a fit of coughing and sneezing. He muttered, "Sorry."

She just laughed quietly, "It's fine. Just go to sleep."

Eventually, Percy fell asleep. It took longer than Annabeth would have expected, but she ran her fingers through his hair until he was snoozing peacefully. Or, as peacefully as he could while he coughed and sneezed.

Annabeth worked on her English paper for a long time. She used Percy's back as a desk, and when she finally had a rough draft finished, she saved it and quit. Luckily, she had grabbed the remote for the TV, so she started her movie over. Since her hands weren't busy typing anymore, she used one of her hands to smooth out Percy's hair and the other to draw circles on his back.

It was weird being this close to someone. Annabeth had spent most of her time in high school (and even now) focusing on her studies and trying to get her future squared away. She hadn't ever really left enough time to have any friends. Now that she thought about that, it was kind of sad. Percy was the first real friend she had had in a long time. And it was really nice. It was pretty awesome being this close to someone.

Percy slept for a little longer, but after a serious coughing fit he jerked awake.

"You okay?" Annabeth asked, running her hand up and down his back.

He nodded and pressed his face into her neck. One of his hands fisted her shirt, making it ride up even more.

"Do you need anything?" She asked.

He shook his head and coughed even more, turning his head away from her and toward the couch. "I'm okay," he said hoarsely, a few seconds later.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"Yeah," he said. "I'm just—glad that you're here."

She smiled lightly and scratched his scalp, "Of course. Rest, Percy. Maybe you will feel better when you wake up."

Percy nodded slightly, but he was already asleep before she had finished her sentence. He was snoring lightly, so Annabeth turned the volume up on the TV. She kept her arms around Percy and smiled as she held him.

Ω

"Okay," she muttered to herself as she finished writing. She was leaving Percy a note that had her phone number and where she was going.

Annabeth had spent all day yesterday and last night taking care of Percy. He had been a lot sicker than she had originally thought, but when she had checked on him this morning, he seemed to be a little better. He was breathing easier, and his fever had come down a few degrees.

Last night had been the first night that she had ever spent somewhere besides her dorm. It was pretty cool to think that she had spent the night at a friend's apartment. And besides, Percy's couch was way more comfortable than her bunk back on campus.

After a few more hours of cuddling (she tried not to wince happily when she thought that word) with Percy on the couch, she had managed to get him to eat some soup and get in his own bed. He had protested that (apparently he slept better when he was next to her; Annabeth had blushed _blood red _when he said that) but she had forced him into it after he fell asleep on the floor while she was massaging his shoulders.

All of the things that she had been doing for him felt like things that friends would do for each other. Annabeth had kept to herself most of the time, and except for a few good acquaintances, she didn't have that many people that she was close to. So what were the boundaries between friends and something more? She didn't know exactly where the line was, but if she crossed it, Percy wasn't objecting.

Right now, Percy was still in bed. Annabeth had made him some breakfast, and she left it in the microwave with a note telling him where it was. She had to actually go to class today, but she would go straight there, swing by her dorm to get her books and some extra clothes then she would come back. She had already swiped Percy's key off of his set and shoved it onto her keychain with her other keys.

Sure, maybe she had kind of made herself at home here, but with Percy that's what it felt like to Annabeth.

Ω

Her phone buzzed on the table, making her jump slightly. She smiled when she read the text from Percy before going back to her book.

He was back to normal now. After a few more days of taking care of him, he was good to go. Sure, maybe he had lounged around for a few extra days just because he wanted Annabeth's attention, but neither of them was complaining about it.

Even though he wasn't sick anymore, she was still hanging around his apartment in her downtime. She would normally grab some takeout food for them before she headed over there, and they would eat and watch movies until either Annabeth decided to go back to her dorm or Percy convinced her just to stay with him. It happened more times than she probably should have allowed, but she honestly didn't care.

He had started texting and calling her too. All day, she would get a constant stream of emojis and questions about what she was doing, where she was going, when she was coming home (Annabeth _loved _that one; it was awesome that Percy called his apartment that when he was talking to her) or where she had put something the night before.

All in all, it was so awesome to have Percy. He was definitely her best friend now, and if Annabeth didn't have him, she would still be in the same boring cycle that she had been in her entire life.

He finally walked in the door, and Annabeth winced against the cold as the wind blew inside.

"Hey," Percy said as he leaned down to give her a side hug. He pressed a hoodie into her hands and said, "It's colder than I thought it would be this morning. I brought you this."

"Oh, thank god," she murmured, pressing it to her face. The thick material smelled like Percy, and it made her smile. "I'm freezing."

He laughed slightly and took a sip of her hot chocolate as he sat down. He fished something out of his pocket, and it _clanged _when it hit the table. He smiled and said, "Oh yeah, I almost forgot."

"A key?" She asked as she picked it up.

"To my apartment," he confirmed. "I figured that you needed one. Now you can go hang out whenever you want instead of having to wait on me."

"But you're the best part," Annabeth said, grinning. "I mean, besides your bathroom. It's _way _better than communal showers."

Percy scowled at her, but his green eyes were sparkling. "Very funny," he said.

"I'm just kidding. Thank you," she said earnestly, looking up at him.

His cheeks were tinted red slightly, but it could have just been from the cold. He murmured, "You're welcome."

Annabeth looked back down to her key as she twisted it in her fingers. A thought occurred to her, but she was almost afraid to say it out loud.

"Percy?" She asked cautiously.

"Yeah?" He said, taking another swig of her drink.

She tipped her head to the side and bit her lip nervously, "Why are you single?"

He froze with her drink at his lips and repeated her question back to her, "Why am I single?"

"Yeah," she said with a nod. "It just seems like you would have a girlfriend or something. You're just so… you."

He was smirking at her, "I'm just so me?"

"You know what I mean," she said with a real scowl, making his grin widen. "So tell me. Why are you single?"

After a long moment of staring at her, he said, "I don't know, Annabeth. I mean, I've had a few offers here and there, and sometimes I go out on dates with a few girls, but none of them have ever really worked out. I just haven't found anybody that is worth spending my time with. And technically, I _do _have a something. I have _you." _

"Well, aren't you smooth," Annabeth commented through her blushing and shaking hands a few seconds later.

Percy laughed, "So why are _you _single? You're so _you."_

"Shut up," she said as he quoted her. "And I don't know. I've just never really had any promising offers before."

"Hmm," he hummed, staring at her and smiling lightly.

"What?" She asked.

He grinned and looked down at his watch, "Nothing. But if you don't leave now, you're going to be late for class."

She looked down at her phone and jumped at the time. She grabbed her backpack and stood up hurriedly.

Percy stood up with her and placed a hand on her hip, stopping her from leaving. He leaned in a pressed a soft kiss to her cheek before he said, "See you at home, Annabeth."

Annabeth was frozen in that spot while she watched Percy sit down. He looked back up at her casually before he looked down to his phone.

"You're going to be late if you keep standing there," he said smugly.

She scowled, leaning down to kiss his cheek too. His shoulders tensed when her lips touched his cheek.

"Bye, Percy!" She shouted, dashing out of the coffee shop.

When she looked back through the window, he was staring after her dreamily with a gigantic smile on his face.

Ω

"Annabeth!"

She turned when she heard someone yelling her name. Her smile widened when she saw Percy speed-walking toward her, waving like she hadn't already spotted him.

It had been nearly two days since she had seen Percy in person. She had a midterm early this morning in her Speech class, so she had just stayed in her dorm instead of going to Percy's so she would be closer. Of course she had met him at the coffee shop at their usual time the day before yesterday, but she hadn't been able to make it today because she had _another _midterm to get to. She swore that her professors were trying to kill her. But it was okay now. They were over with, and she could have a small break until next week.

She was really surprised to see Percy wandering around campus. Normally he went to his classes and then went somewhere else to hang out. She didn't know that he actually walked around campus like a normal college kid. She had just assumed that he didn't.

"Hey, Percy," she said as she accepted his hug. "What are you doing here?"

He hugged her for longer than normal, but that's okay because it was really cold outside. He shrugged, "Just got out of Ethics. I'm going to the library believe it or not."

"The library?" Annabeth asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I need a book."

"Well, that's a good reason to go," she said, pulling out of his arms and straightening her hat. "I have to go. See you tonight?"

"Okay," he said, stepping closer and pressing a kiss to her lips.

They both froze.

Annabeth didn't know what he was doing. As far as she understood, they were just friends. At least, she had _thought _that they were just friends. Why was Percy kissing her? Was he trying to tell her that he wanted to be more than friends? Did he think that _this _was the best way to do that?

Percy's hands were gripping her hips from where he had pulled her closer to hug her goodbye. She could feel his fingers fluttering nervously. He took a sudden step back from her.

When he finally looked up at her, his face was blood red. He was scratching the back of his neck and fidgeting with the strap on his backpack.

Annabeth was stuck in her spot. She was sure that her mouth was probably hanging open, but she couldn't make herself understand what was happening. Why had Percy kissed her? Was he going to do it again?

"Umm, sorry," Percy muttered nervously, looking down at his shoes and kicking his feet.

Before she knew what she was doing, she launched herself forward and grabbed his face in her hands, crashing her lips to his. Percy responded to her immediately, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close.

She wasn't sure how long they stood there, kissing in the cold, but when she pulled back and saw Percy's grin, it was totally worth her fingers going numb.

Percy leaned back in and covered her face in kisses. Annabeth started laughing and pushing at his chest.

"I seriously have to go," she said in his ear. "I am so late now."

"Just skip then," he breathed into her neck, pressing his lips to her skin in a brand new spot. "Come hang out with _me." _

"I can't," she said, untangling herself from him. He looked so sad right then that she leaned forward again and gave him a quick kiss. She wasn't really sure how to do it, but Percy looked winded anyway so it must not have been that bad. "I'll see you tonight, promise!"

He kissed the side of her face, biting at her earlobe gently and making her squeal. He murmured, "I'll hold you to that."

She grinned and took off in the opposite direction. For some reason, she didn't really care if she was late to class. That interruption had been worth it.

Ω

Annabeth groaned as her alarm went off. She blindly reached out and tapped at the screen, hitting snooze a few times. She sighed happily and pulled the sheets up to cover her face.

Gentle sunlight was streaming in through the window and around the blue curtains that matched his comforter perfectly. She could faintly smell someone cooking breakfast in the next room, and she could even hear a few pots banging and the water running as he shuffled through the kitchen.

Now that she thought about it, the past few weeks that she had been hanging out with Percy had been the best of her life. Especially now that they were dating. She hardly ever went anywhere without him (except for class), and she never slept in her dorm now. She was planning on moving in with him for good as soon as the semester was over.

They fought occasionally, over little things like _who forgot to call who _or _you were supposed to bring something home to eat _but it was still fun. They normally got over it within fifteen minutes.

She kissed him. She held his hand. She cuddled with him when he wanted to. She helped him make dinner even though they both knew that she was _crap _at cooking. It was easy. It was awesome. She always thought that being in a relationship with somebody would be something hard that would take time to get used to, but with Percy everything seemed easy and natural. She felt like she didn't have to try that hard to be with him.

Annabeth rolled out of bed, pulling on some fuzzy socks and a t-shirt before walking through the door and to the kitchen.

He was standing at the stove, flipping pancakes with a spatula. He was wearing a pair of sweatpants that fell low on his hips. Even though it was early December, he wasn't wearing a shirt, but that was totally okay with Annabeth. Not that she would ever say that to him, but still.

She walked up behind him and slipped her arms around his waist. She rested her head against his back and moved her hands in circles on his chest. Percy hummed happily, and Annabeth bit back a smile.

"Morning," Percy said. His voice was gravelly like it always was in the mornings.

"Mmm," she hummed, tightening her grip a little. "Good morning."

"You want some pancakes?" He asked.

She shook her head before she buried her face between his shoulder blades, "No, if I don't leave in the next fifteen minutes I'm going to be late for class."

He seemed disappointed when she let go of him to go get dressed.

It took Annabeth ten minutes to throw on some jeans and a hoodie that was probably Percy's. She threw her hair up into a messy bun and tied her sneakers before walking back out to the kitchen.

Percy was sitting at the counter on a bar stool, eating his stack of pancakes. He watched as she moved toward the door, grabbing her laptop from the charger and putting it in her backpack with the rest of her school supplies. After she set it by the door, she walked back over to him and gave him a lingering kiss on the lips. He tasted like maple syrup and mint toothpaste. It was a weird combination, but it reminded her of him.

He looked up at her once she pulled back, "See you at the coffee shop?"

She smiled and pecked his lips one more time. She dropped another kiss to his jaw and then to his hair just because she couldn't help herself. "Of course, you dork. I'll see you there."

Ω

"I'm glad that I don't sit over there at that stupid table anymore," Percy said as he kissed her lightly before throwing himself down on the other side of the table. He motioned to the table that he used to sit at before he got the courage to talk to her.

Annabeth's smile grew until it spread from ear to ear. He was wearing a long sleeve t-shirt, and he was shrugging out of his jacket. His hair was sticking up in one spot behind his ear, and Annabeth reached out to smooth it down.

She smiled at him, "Me too, Percy."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Leave a review!**

**-SomethingMoreCreative**


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